2.3 Land use by sub-region (Table C4)

Table C4 presents land use by the four
regions and 14 sub-regions (as presented in
Map 1). Chart 2.1 highlights that Highland,
understandably, had the largest share of Scotland's agricultural
land, it being the largest area, with 2.08 million hectares (34 per
cent), followed by Grampian (11 per cent) and Tayside (ten per
cent). Highland also had by far the largest share of grass and
rough grazing (36 per cent), and of farmed woodland (37 per
cent).

Chart 2.1: Distribution of total agricultural area and
other land-types by sub-region, June 2015

Map 2: Less Favoured Areas

However, taking into account the size of these sub-regions,
chart 2.2 shows that the islands have the largest proportion of
their land in agricultural use, with nearly 100 per cent on
Shetland and Na h-Eileanan Siar, and over 90 per cent on Orkney.
The lowest percentage was in Clyde Valley, where 60 per cent was in
agricultural use.

Chart 2.2: Proportion of area in agricultural use, and by
type, June 2015

The two charts also show that Grampian and Tayside had the
largest share of crop and fallow land in Scotland (32 per cent and
22 per cent respectively of Scotland's total), with Fife and
Lothian having the largest proportions of their land as crop or
fallow (40 per cent and 28 per cent respectively). By contrast very
small areas of land were used for crops and fallow on Shetland, Na
h-Eileanan Siar and in Argyll and Bute. See
section 4.1 for more detailed breakdown of
these categories.